Fulham’s clash with Cardiff is Cottagers’ last chance saloon for shot at safety

At the end of every weekend I, in a rather matter-of-fact, frustrated manner, write-off Fulham’s chances of surviving relegation from the Premier League.

Then, as the working week draws to a close and the weekend fixture comes into focus, I regain a level of unwarranted belief that this will be the week we will get the win that will turn our disastrous season around.

Last week’s game against Chelsea however, showed, to the disdain of the faithful, that Felix Magath doesn’t own a magic wand and that, at best, we can only expect minimal improvements from the team.

Our performance was lackadaisical to say the least – we showed an unfamiliarly slow Chelsea side too much respect, and we failed to take the game to them assertively.

Second half was, in some ways, much the same – we still offered nothing in the final third – but as an added bonus for Chelsea, who showed improvement after the break, our defence lost assertion too.

Next week’s fixture against Cardiff City is therefore, rather unceremoniously, the unofficial cup final of the relegation battle, that will see the loser all but relegated.

It’s a game that both teams, you’d like to think, will put absolutely everything in to, and it’s one that, if we win, could make my tiny amount of unwarranted belief that little bit more justified.

It’s Fulham’s last chance to show real intent, and a vital three points that both teams will reflect on one way or another, come the end of the season.